


Careful, The Rain Might Kiss You

by browneyedprimadonna



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Falling In Love, Mild Language, Rival Relationship, Romance, Slow Burn, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-09-25 07:29:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17117057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/browneyedprimadonna/pseuds/browneyedprimadonna
Summary: Chloe's day is already going terribly enough, and now her dad wants her to run an errand for him since no one else is available. If she thought it couldn't get any worse… yeah, no. Here's a tip Chloe: Don't wear your self-declared rival's clothes, even if you're in a huge pinch; It might end up with you catching unwanted feelings.





	1. This Gâteau Blows

“Ugh fine!” Chloe groaned. “I'll go, but in turn, you will get double the gifts that you usually get; okay Daddy?”  
“Oh, I'll make sure to my honey-bun!”  
Great, as if Chloe's day wasn't going terrible enough? First Sabrina got sick and didn't meet up with her as planned, and now she had to go to that Marinette girl's family's bakery. To pick up a cake! All because Daddy's servants subordinates were too busy preparing stuff for a stupid visit from some “important” people. Not to mention, even the chauffeur wasn't available, her dad had instructed him to drive around the early arrived visitors. And Jean Jacqu— Jean Clau— no, Jean Mi— her family’s butler was too busy “helping out" for the visit. Now Chloe didn't have someone to drive her to the bakery, not that it was that far away, but it was a fifteen-minute walk after all.

It was a cold foggy Saturday afternoon in early November and it was getting colder by each day.  
Chloe wanted to get her errand done with as soon as possible and was in such a hurry, she forgot to throw on a coat. To her disappointment, all of the taxis nearby were busy for some reason.

Now, if this was any other person, they would've simply taken public transportation. But mind you, Chloe Bourgeois _wasn't_ just anyone, she was the daughter of Paris’ mayor. Considering that, it was _obvious_ that she didn't want to get seen riding on a bus or worse, _in the métro_ ; After all, those were for poor people, who didn't mind being packed like sardines. Plus, she didn't really understand how to use public transport and was too embarrassed to ask anyone. (Googling it only showed her old documentaries about how the métro was built and a post in a dead forum from 2009, the only answer being from the original poster saying “Nevermind, I figured it out!”) It was clear the only option left, was to walk.

When she finally arrived at the bakery, she spotted a girl with rich dark hair tied up in pigtails. It didn't take her long to realize it was Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the oh-so-perfect girl everyone loved. Always flawless and never wrong.

Her facade fooled everyone but Chloe. Marinette wasn't as perfect as she pretended to be, in fact, she had way too many flaws to even list! She was stubborn, she was way too self-absorbed, and she always pretended she was in the right, even if she wasn't. Chloe's face soured at the thought of having to interact with such an insincere person. Sadly there was no way around it, still, she tried to avoid her and go in and out the bakery without Marinette noticing. But just as Chloe tried to open the door she heard Marinette's voice: “Chloe? What are you doing here?”

“Nothing” Chloe answered, “just picking up this stupid cake my dad ordered for that “important” visit.”

Marinette looked at her skeptically before asking “sure, but why would you go out of your way to do that? Doesn't your family have pretty much all of Paris at their disposal?”

Chloe was getting annoyed and shot back a quick response. “They're all working on different stuff for that stupid visit. I'm the only one who was available. Now, do you want to interrogate me anymore, mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng?!”

Marinette took a step back and put up her hands, “Alright, alright! You don't have to get all uptight all of a sudden! I was just asking.”

“Well, don't! It's annoying.”

“My parents _did_ tell me there was one order which would be picked up; to think it would be _you_ of all people…“ Marinette sighed, “look, I'll just quickly go inside, get you the cake so you can go, and we'll both be happy, okay?”

Chloe muttered something that sounded rather unpleasant and nodded. Marinette breathed a sigh of relief and went inside to get the cake, leaving Chloe all by herself. Chloe leaned against a street light crossing her arms. “This day can't get any worse,” she thought out loud. But the moment those words escaped her mouth she felt a cold splash against the tip of her nose. Her eyes widened, it wasn't raining per se, but there were enormous dark clouds looming over Paris. “Perfect,” she groaned.

After what seemed like an eternity, Marinette came holding the box with the cake in it. “Here you go,” she said. Chloe reached out to take it, but exactly that moment the sky lit up and the loud rumbling of thunder could be heard throughout all of Paris. “Oh no,” the two girls chimed in unison. In the blink of an eye, both of them were dripping wet from head to toe. This was the last straw for Chloe.

“Shit!” She snapped, “Fuck, shitshitshitttt— son of a— the fucking cake and my makeup are ruined!!!”

“Can you go even a second without worrying about your makeup?!” Marinette scoffed.

“Hell no!” Chloe shouted, “can you shut your trap for one second and help me, so this cake doesn't have wet cardboard stuck to it?!” Marinette sighed and both of them ran inside the bakery. Chloe's nerves were on the edge and this did not help, at all.  
“Ugh— I hope that shitty cake is fine…”

“The cake just barely survived, the box though… Usually, rain doesn't do that much to our boxes, but this one’s completely soaked” Marinette said as she looked inside of it.

“It should be glad it survived! Otherwise, I'd have had a mental breakdown.” Chloe buried her face in her hands. “Ugh; Why does all of this have to happen to me of all people?!”

Marinette looked at Chloe, who was now, frankly speaking, a mess. Her usually thick blonde hair was reduced to all, but a sad dripping wet mop. All left of her over the top makeup was a smear of colors mixed together. Her clothes—soaked. Marinette hesitated but decided that it would be more mature of her to offer help, than act childish. “Come upstairs,” she said.

“Huh?”

“We're soaking wet and if I'm being honest, you don't look your best right now. I'll give you a change of clothes, and in the meanwhile, you can fix up your hair and take off that smeared makeup.”

Chloe halted for a moment, she clenched her fist and opened her mouth with a look on her face, as if she were about to object. Yet all she could mutter was a silent “Oh, okay.” Her grip loosened, refusing now would be plain stupid, so she tried to hold herself back from insulting Marinette; at least for now.

Marinette’s room was small, but it felt lived in. It was a place where her friends would come over, just to hang out. It wasn't big or luxurious, there was no home cinema, nor any carefully hand-tied luxury bouquets embellishing the room, yet it felt warmer than anything Chloe could call home.

“You can use my vanity, here's some makeup remover.” Marinette said, “Oh, and a towel.”

Chloe briefly glanced at the towel, then at Marinette, then back at the towel. “Was she always this kind?” She thought to herself, only to quickly ditch that feeling. “No, Chloe! Snap out of it. You know why she's doing this.”

As Chloe started taking off her makeup, looking in the mirror, she noticed Marinette taking off her top. “W-wait! What are you doing?!” she blurted out of her mouth.

“Uh, changing? What do you think I'm supposed to do, stay in these wet clothes?” She paused for a second, “It's not like you haven't seen me change before, we have gym class together.”

“Nnno, it's just that; That's gym class, and not..! Just… tell me, before you start doing stuff like that.” Chloe muttered.

“You're surprisingly prude, aren't you,” Marinette said a bit tongue in cheek.

“You have a problem with that?!”

“Nope, I was just surprised.” Marinette took some clothes out of her clothes chest and handed them to Chloe. “Here you go,” she said, “it's not as over the top as your stuff, but it should look good enough that you won't complain.”

Chloe hesitated for a moment, “I guess it's fine,” she said, “considering the situation.”

“Great. Um, anyways, I think it might be better for you if you stay here until it stops raining; so you might as well have something to drink if you want.”

“Uh, sure,” Chloe stammered, “might as well.” Marinette left the room and went to the kitchen, leaving Chloe once again all alone to her thoughts. Just like a few minutes ago, when she was waiting outside. Except now Chloe was in Marinette's room, barefaced, wearing her clothes.

  
“This is weird! Way too weird!! Why is Marinette acting so nice? No, wait, why am I just going along?! Chloe, snap out of it and come to your senses!” Chloe slapped herself, thinking that maybe this was all a bad dream and that she might wake up. But to her disappointment all of this was real.  
  
“Shit, this is awkward, really awkward.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wassup people! Don't forget to SMASH that like button, buy my merch, and sell your soul to me! If you spot any huge grammar errors or wrongly used idioms please tell me, I'm an ESL writer, so it's very appreciated. I know a lot of people fear unfinished works but I promise, that regardless of what reception this gets; I'm going to to finish this one. There's a really cute scene I've planned out that I have to write, so that's my main motivator right now.


	2. The Rain Won't Stop Pouring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry for the long* wait. This chapter is probably not the best you've ever read, but I learned a lot while writing it.  
> Plus I think it's fine as long as it's enjoyable.  
> This one's a very dialogue-heavy chapter, so buckle up!  
> *Are twelve days considered long?  
> 

A sigh left Marinette's mouth.

“Are you sure you're fine with this?” a tiny voice asked.

Marinette nodded, “it's better than to have her going home in wet clothes and catching a cold. _Although,_ now that I think about it, Tikki, A few days without Chloe would actually be pretty nice,” Marinette chuckled. “But you know, I'm just not the type to leave someone hanging like that, I've learned from my mistakes,” she paused, “and I think Chloe has been changing too. If I didn't think so I wouldn't have trusted her with the bee miraculous for a second time.” Marinette opened the cupboard and took out the main ingredients for the best drink in the world: hot chocolate. She turned her head to her Kwami.

Tikki, whose eyes glimmered from merely looking at the chocolate, started salivating. Marinette giggled, “you want some too?” she asked.

“Yeshhh!!” Tikki replied and wiped the drool from the corners of her mouth.

“Very well,” Marinette rolled up her sleeves, “three portions it is!”

 

Chloe changed into the clothes Marinette gave her: a light shirt, a peach-colored hoodie, and black plaid pants that were a bit too short for her, resulting in them cutting off above her ankles. Chloe took a look in the mirror. “Huh, I didn't notice her being this much shorter than me,” she thought out loud. She was caught off guard when she unexpectedly heard a response:

“Hey! I'm not _that_ short!”

Chloe's head turned, she spotted Marinette holding a tray with two mugs.

Marinette tilted her head and smiled. “Hot chocolate, on the house.”

Chloe took her portion and sat down on the lounge chair in Marinette's room. She sipped from the drink, _“HOT!”_ she shrieked.

“Well, obviously,” Marinette chuckled “it was on the stove just a minute ago after all.”

Chloe pouted, “I know,” she looked to the side, “I was just tasting it; I must admit, it's not _as terrible_ as I thought it'd be.”

Marinette rolled her eyes, “y'know, I can take it back if you don't want it.”

Chloe was taken aback; “No, ” she said, “I've already taken a sip from it, might as well finish it.”

“Sure, whatever you wish, princess.”

 

A few minutes of silence passed, Chloe's gaze wandered to Marinette, who was typing something on her PC. “Hey,” Chloe said, “what're you doing there?”

Marinette glanced over her shoulder, “…just something Miss Bustier wanted me to write.”

_“What, poetry?”_

“Nah,” Marinette spun her chair around and faced Chloe, “remember that group project we had recently?” _Ah yes, the one where Chloe had to actually learn her text for a presentation. Terrible._ “Apparently, she liked what my group did and asked me to write about things I would like to see change in France and the world in general.

“She said it's going to be part of a huge compilation of opinions from students all over the country.”

“Huh, I didn't know there was such a thing happening,” Chloe said, “at least I wasn't told about it.”

Marinette shrugged, “I guess Miss Bustier thought I'd be more… fitting for the job?”

Chloe furrowed her brows, “Is that supposed to be an insult?” she asked.

“Maybe,” Marinette smirked.

Chloe blew a kiss, “fuck you too boo.” She stuck out her tongue and paused, “but before I forget to ask, what's your WiFi password?”

“Seriously?” Marinette asked.

“Seriously,” Chloe answered.

 

“Ahhhh…” Marinette sighed, “sure, fine, but don't be too surprised.”

Chloe tilted her head and asked, “why?”

“It's Wo Feichang Ai Wo De Qizi.”

“What.”

“Wo Feichang Ai Wo De Qizi.”

Chloe furrowed her brows and squinted, “Woe fay… tune… I woody cheesy?”

“Ahaha— no,” Marinette giggled, “but don't worry, I myself only understand like two words of it.

“I can’t fathom how my dad thought that'd be an acceptable length for a password, all the spaces are included too!”

“Wait, it's your dad who decided to make it that? Not your mom?”

“Yup, weird, I know.”

“Well, okay. You can just spell it,” Chloe said.

“Okay. _W-O F-E-I—_ ”

“Wa-wa-waiiit a second! Is the first letter capitalized or not?”

Marinette sighed, “yeah, it is.”

“So it's W-O F-I-E—”

“NO! It's E-I, _not_ I-E!”

“Fine!” Chloe groaned, “E-I it is! Why is it so long anyway?!”

“Because it is.”

“Ooh, thanks for the wise answer mademoiselle, good reason indeed!”

“Okay, you know what?!” Marinette threw her hands up in the air, “this is taking way too long! Just hand me your phone and I'll type it in for you!”

“No,” Chloe answered, clenching her phone.

“Why? It'll take just a second, Chloe. It's not like I'm going to break it.”

“I don't… want to?”

“Come on, it's way quicker than whatever we're doing right now.”

“Mnnnnoooo?”

Marinette rolled her eyes, _“it's literally for a second.”_

Chloe gave in, “only for a second, okay?”

“Sure, your majesty,” a sarcastic smile graced Marinette's face.

Marinette leaned over, her face just inches away from Chloe's. Chloe handed her the phone. Suddenly time slowed down, you could see every eyelash of Marinette's, hear her every breath. Chloe was entranced, she'd never seen Marinette this close up before, she almost seemed like a completely different person.

 

Marinette entered the WiFi password, but as her finger glided across the screen, she accidentally ended up on the home screen, which was set to a selfie of Queen Bee and Ladybug.

Chloe's defense system activated, she swiftly snatched back her phone from Marinette. “A second’s over,” she stressed.

A confused look spread across Marinette's face. “Wait, was _that_ why you were so hesitant on handing me your phone? Your selfie with Ladybug?”

“Can you blame me? You've made fun of me for way dumber stuff before!”

“Maybe in the past, but I wouldn't make fun of y—”

“Yes, _you would,_ ” Chloe interrupted, “don't pretend like you're some kind of angel who’s never in the wrong.”

“No, Chloe! I wouldn't ridicule you, or anyone else for the matter, for being a fan of someone and being excited to meet them!”

“I'm _not_ her fan!” Chloe interrupted, “I DO admire her, but you calling me a mere fan is just ridiculous! Ladybug sees me as an equal; she gave me a second chance even after I messed up. She's an amazing and honest person, unlike you.” Chloe's voice trembled, “why do I even bother… what would _you_ know about being honest, after all, _all you do is put on a mask every day!”_

She went quiet and looked away, “I'm leaving the second it stops raining. Until then, don't even _try_ talking to me.”

Marinette couldn't say anything; the mood in the room felt too heavy to.

The two girls turned away from each other, both holding their breath. Marinette sat down by her PC and continued writing her assignment, Chloe was on the lounge chair with her back to Marinette, burying her face into her phone.

 

A few minutes had passed. Marinette glanced over at Chloe, who still looked mad. She buried her face in her hands. There was no way she could write anything in a room with this kind of atmosphere. She stood up, she needed to escape from this situation quickly, else she felt like she would suffocate. “I'm gonna get some water,” Marinette said.

No response.

 

Once Marinette was in the kitchen she slapped herself, twice. She took a deep breath and screamed as quietly as possible, “AAAHHH! Tikki what am I going to do?! I was just trying to have a non-aggressive discussion with Chloe. Why does nothing ever go like I want it to?!

“Help, please Tikki, you've like, lived through millennia, don't you have any advice? Ple-he-he-ase!”

“You're not wrong, Marinette, but…” Tikki shut her eyes and thought for a few seconds, “I don't think I can help you much, other than telling you that you should consider her point of view.

“I'm not even sure if I understand why exactly you're fighting.”

“Argh! Me neither! That's the problem!”

 

Marinette was walking in circles, muttering something to herself with her head in her hands when the sudden sound of footsteps startled her.

“Soo, is this is what you do when you get a glass of water? Talk to yourself and walk in circles?”

Marinette saw Chloe standing  by the door, “Didn't you say you wouldn't speak to me?”

“Not if you spend more time on getting a glass of water than one does on taking a dump.”

“Well, Miss Bourgeois, it's kind of hard to breathe when you're in the room; who knows when or why you'll flip out next.”

Chloe crossed her arms, “so basically what you're saying is that you're a coward?”

“What?”

“Because to me, it sounds like you think it's easier to avoid me than to say sorry.”

“Well, what am I supposed to apologize for? You didn't even tell me what I did wrong, you just went on your own, got mad at me for some small thing and ranted about how terrible of a person I am.”

“Um, I don't know, maybe the whole ordeal with you invading my personal space and all?”

“Yeah Miss? Well, that was an accident! I'm not out to get you, Chloe.”

Chloe crossed her arms, “I'm supposed to believe that? Sure, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the one who's been treating me like shit since we started collège suddenly wants to be all nice with me.”

“It’s true! I'm getting sick of us fighting all the time. We're not kids anymore! I've changed a lot from when we were in sixième,” Marinette paused, “and you have too.”

“I haven't seen you change the way you treat me even once in all these years.”

“Because you don't let me.”

“What?”

“You don't let me change the way I act towards you, the moment someone tries to talk to you, you shut them off.”

“I—”

“And then I and other people get sick of trying and start being fine with keeping the status quo.”

“You're saying that as if I'm the only one to blame!”

Marinette clenched her fists. “I'm NOT saying I'm perfect, Chloe,” she yelled, “…I just wish you didn't shut yourself off the moment someone tries to open up to you.” Marinette went quiet and a pained look spread across her face.

“I don't— I… I didn't—” Chloe stammered, “I— I'm sorry.”

“No,” Marinette said, “I am.”

Chloe looked down her face went red, “I, I just thought that, that you hate me and, and that you—”

“I couldn't hate you if I wanted to.”

“But—”

“We've been in the same class for four years now, do you think anyone can hate someone for so long? Can _you_ still hate me?”

Chloe looked up, “…no.”

“Exactly.”

 

Marinette took a step forward and put her hand on her heart, “Look, I'm sorry, Chloe. I really am. I didn't understand how you felt and hurt you because of that.”

Chloe looked confused, she didn't know what her reaction was supposed to be. She never thought something like this would ever happen, that their relationship would ever change, that they'd ever be anything but enemies. “I—” she stammered, “I don't— I mean, no I— I'm sorry.

“For getting mad for something this insignificant and— for everything else. I didn't think you cared.” She tried to hold them back but Chloe couldn't stop the hot tears rolling down her cheeks. Her face felt somehow like molten jelly, yet stiff. She wiped the tears from her face and sniffed. A nervous laugh escaped her mouth before she spoke, “Can we start over?”

“Can’t promise that there won't be any more fights,” Marinette shrugged, “but a fresh new start might be what we needed.”

The two girls looked each other in the eyes and smiled.

“Truce?”

“Truce.”

A quiet moment passed, the two were not sure what to say, now, that a huge and long-lasting weight was lifted from their shoulders.

 

“Hey, Marinette?” Chloe asked. “Is it still raining?”

“It is,” Marinette answered, “do you want it to stop?”

Chloe took a deep breath and put a faint smile on her face, “not anymore.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for this chapter! Kind of anticlimactic maybe, but I thought it was fun.  
> Did you enjoy the m-dash and ellipses abuse? I'm sorry I can't help it, especially in dialogue, where characters constantly interrupt one another.  
> The WiFi password is supposed to be “我非常爱我的妻子” I googled a bit to make sure it's an accurate translation of what I wanted, but if it isn't we can always just say that Marinette's father tried to charm his wife with Google Translate, but it didn't work out as well as he hoped lol  
> That's it, don't forget to YEET that like button and sell me your soul! ( ་ ⍸ ་ )


	3. The Best Croissants in Paris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sunday, croissants and awkward feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! By this point you've probably forgotten most of what happened in the last chapters. ^_^" Sorry for the long break, life's been busy.  
> Hope you enjoy!

“So, um... bye,” Marinette said. 

“Bye,” Chloe looked over her shoulder, opening her mouth as if she wanted to add something, but no other words left her mouth. 

The rain had stopped, rays of sunlight were shining through the windows. There was no reason to overstay her visit, she had to be home soon too, so the cake would be there when the guests arrived. She bundled up in a cozy tan coat that Marinette had lent her, picked up the cake box and hurried home. 

After walking for what felt like an eternity she spotted Le Grand Paris, the luxury hotel her family owned and the place where she lived. 

“Mademoiselle!” A familiar voice shouted. Chloe turned her head to the place from where the sound originated, there she spotted Jean-Whateverhisnameis, his hair wasn't proper at all, it was obvious that he'd been working all day long. “I am so sorry for not being with you today, I hope you understand, you see, your father—”

“I don't care,” Chloe interrupted, shoving the box into his hands, “here's the thing Daddy wanted. Tell him I want twice as many gifts as promised.

“And you! The next time you aren't by my side when you're needed: You  _ will  _ be fired!”

“I—” the butler stumbled “I will make sure to mademoiselle, please forgive me!”

Chloe muttered a quick “whatever” before she cut off the conversation. 

The butler watched her stomp away into the distance before a look of pure happiness spread across his face; He looked around frantically, as if he was looking for someone to tell some groundbreaking news. “Mademoiselle said I was needed!” 

 

Chloe stepped into her room, closing the door behind her. She leaned against it, took a deep breath and let her back slide down. A worn out sigh escaped her mouth as she fell to her knees: “Aaaahhhh— What was that?” Her voice cracked.

She hugged her knees with a tight grip, “what's up with me today? This is so not like me.” She let out another sigh, stood up and walked to her bed with sluggish steps. Once there, she barely managed to take off the coat she was wearing and throw it on the ground, before she plummeted onto the bed with its soft and comfy pillows. This day was a lot to take in and she had no more energy left after all that. Her mind started drifting away and before she'd realized, she'd fallen asleep.

 

_ BEEP— BEEP— BEEP— BE— _ “Shut the fuck up!” Chloe grumbled. The late morning sun shined through the thin curtains, hitting the spot where her face was. She rolled over to the other side of her Queen sized bed in hopes of getting a bit more sleep, but by that point she was fully awake. Her eyes watered as she attempted to stifle a yawn, she stretched out her arms before letting them flop to her sides. She reached out to grab her phone and opened Instagram. 

 

First things first, she checked out what people had posted to their stories. Everything seemed pretty normal: some people joking around, polls, travel pictures… all the usual stuff. At least until she got to the story of someone who attended the welcoming party that had been held the previous day. 

That's when she remembered, that everything that had happened yesterday was in fact, real. It made her cringe when she thought about all the stupid things she said and did. How was she going to go to school tomorrow? How should she act towards Marinette? 

It took her a few seconds to notice, but she was still wearing the clothes Marinette had lent her; Chloe had fallen asleep before she had even gotten the opportunity to change. “And what the hell am I supposed to do about these?” She sighed, “maybe I should go ahead and take a shower first, then I can worry.”

 

Chloe took a quick look in the mirror. She had changed into her own clothes, which suited her a lot more with their golden yellows. “Yup, this is better!” Her gaze wandered to Marinette's clothes. She picked them up, “Ugh… really don't wanna see these any longer than needed. I should go have them cleaned and have them returned as soon as possible. Although, no, I should return them myself, I don't want to make a big deal out of this, having someone else return them would make it way more awkward.” She put the clothes in a small laundry basket, left her room and walked to the elevator. A few seconds after she pressed the elevator button its doors opened, revealing her butler with a serving cart. “Ah, Mademoiselle! Good timing, I was just bringing you your breakfast.” 

“No need, I'm not hungry.” Chloe looked at the basket she was holding, “but can you have these clothes cleaned and dried by noon?”

“Ah, yes, it will probably take less than two hours. But are you sure you're not hungry? Not even in the slightest?”

“Yeah, yeah, I'm pretty confident. Just text me as soon as they're clean okay?”

“Alright then.”

The elevator doors closed.

 

Chloe was standing in front of the hotel, waiting for the chauffeur, when she spotted an old hunched man having trouble walking to the other side of the street. First she thought he was waiting for someone, but after watching him look from left to right for about a solid minute while cars flew by she realized that that wasn’t the case.

As she didn’t have anything to do, she approached him.

“Do you need any help,” she paused, “monsieur?”

The man looked up “Yes thank you, young lady. A weak old man like me appreciates it.”

After she helped him get to the other side, the man thanked her once again. Chloe looked him in the eyes and gave him a slight smile “you’re welcome,” she said.

She was waving him goodbye, when she spotted her driver pulling up next to the hotel. She turned around and hurried to the car, “now onto the thing I actually need to do.” 

 

“Where would you like me to drive you to, mademoiselle?”

“School.”

Chloe leaned her head against the window, watching families and couples who were on a date flashing by. Before she had realized, she heard the driver say “we’re here.” 

“If I don’t come back in five minutes you can go drive back to the hotel,” Chloe said. She stepped out of the car and strutted to the bakery on the other side of the street.

She reached her hand for the door handle, hesitating for a split-second before she mustered up the courage and flung open the door. “GoOod morniNG!” Her voice cracked.

“Good morning—” two heads turned and answered in sync, “oh- it's the mayor’s dau— I mean Marinette’s classmate, Chloe. What brings you here?” The smaller person out of the two, Marinette’s mother, asked.

As Chloe was still unsure about the whole thing she planned to do, she tensed up and panicked, “Uhh— I, was in the area and um, got hungry for some croissants.” She flashed a big nervous smile.

“Well you’ve landed in the right place!” Marinette’s father said, “I don’t always brag, but our croissants are the best in the whole of Paris, dare I say, in France!” He nodded to himself, “and as we know the best croissants are found in France, which means ours are the best in the whole world!” A big proud smile spread from one corner of his face to the other. 

Marinette’s mother held her hand against her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter, but to no avail. “Pfft— dear, don’t boast too much, or the croissant police will hunt you down.” 

Marinette's dad started gesturing faster than an Italian pizza baker would about pineapple on pizza. “They can pursue me all they want! All I’m doing is telling the truth!” He shrugged “and as far as I know there’s no law against being honest.” 

“Hush— who knows, a secret government-issued croissant-assassin might be listening from far away.” Marinette's mother said in a sarcastic tone.

Heavy laughter interrupted the couple. “Pfffttt— ahahahahaaaa— so-pfft— sorry, you two are just so cute together.” Chloe said out of breath, still holding her laughter.

Marinette's parents were a bit startled; Sure, they didn't know Chloe that well, but they'd met her before and heard the horror stories Marinette always told, but she seemed a lot… different?

“Well, we're always happy to hear that.” Marinette's mother said.

Chloe let out a last chuckle, “I'll take two,” she said, when she heard loud footsteps rushing down the stairs. The door swung open, revealing Marinette.

“Hey dad, can Iiiiiiiii—” Marinette's head turned to Chloe, her eyes widening.

Chloe crossed her arms, tilting her head to the side, “what?”

“N-nothing” Marinette replied, looking towards her parents with a face that demanded an explanation. Her parents didn't seem to get the message, so she turned back to Chloe. “So uh, what brings you here? I mean, near the school on a Sunday morning.” she asked, trying to not act too suspicious.

An image of herself crying flashed back into Chloe's mind. Her shoulders tensed up, her eyes avoiding Marinette. “I was just doing my thing, um, mayor's daughter stuff and all. But it, uh, ended early, so I was free and then I, uh," she shot a quick glance at Marinette, who didn't seem convinced at all, "I got hungry for some croissants and this bakery was just two steps away so um… Yeah that's about it.”

“Can you imagine Marinette? She happened to land in the perfect place with the best croissants in the world!” Marinette's dad said in an oblivious tone. 

“Are you still going on about that croissant thing, dear? I'm sure Chloe has gotten it by now.” Her mother added.

Marinette looked out to the window, where Chloe's enormous limousine was still visible. She looked back at Chloe who was looking down at the floor and who seemed like a lost puppy. She let out a big sigh. “Okay, um, Mom, Dad, you can get back to work now. I'll go upstairs with Chloe.”

“Huh?” Chloe looked up.

“I mean if you want, that is. We could talk about that thing, the uh, group project.”

“Oh, uh yeah. Yeah. Sure, why not.”

Marinette mother sensed that something was off; but since it seemed like the two weren't so keen on talking while she was there, she didn't ask anything. “Do you girls want me to make you some hot chocolate?”

Another memory flashed into Chloe's mind. “Ah— No, madame. Um, th-thank you for the offer though.”

“And you, Marinette?”

“It's a no from me too, mom.”

“Okay then, just don't come to us complaining that we don't feed you well enough!”

“Ugh— okay, okay! I won't!” Marinette shouted from upstairs. “I mean I haven't since i was like eleven but you seem to forget that.” She grumbled. 

Chloe looked down at Marinette's mother and back at Marinette; Something about their relationship seemed different from that of her and her own mother. Not in a bad way, just… different.

 

Marinette sighed, “sorry about my parents, they're a bit much, I know.”

“Uh, no— no it's fine. No need to apologize. They, uh, they seem like a happy couple.”

Marinette shrugged. “I mean, as long as it doesn't bother you.”

“Yeah, no, they're fine, I'm… used to worse.”

“Your parents flirt even more? Damn I'm so sorry, I didn't consider that you might be suffering even more than I am.”

“Uh, flirt? I mean… yeah! Yeah, they're unbearable.”

“I guess that's one more thing we've got in common now.” 

“One more?”

“Um, I mean, we probably have something in common already.”

“Ah, yeah, I guess that makes sense.”

“Um, so, I don't wanna make assumptions but, you did come here to talk about… that, right?” 

“Ah, yes! That group project, how's it going along by the way?” Chloe smirked.

Marinette groaned. “No need to be sarcastic. But to partly answer your question: my  _ personal _ project is going a bit too slowly— thanks to a certain someone.”

Chloe gasped in a fake manner. “What? Did I do something?”

Marinette chuckled. “Nah, not you. There was this rich girl who angrily entered my room, wore my clothes, drank hot chocolate and who then proceeded to cry though. After all that my mind's been a bit… how do I put it— distracted.”

“Hey! No need to remind me of the details. Besides, that's in the past now right? You did say we were starting over, remember?”

“Sure, but it can't be helped. I can still see it so clearly in front of me. Your crying face that is.”

“You don't have to rub it in. I know I looked terrible.”

“I never said you looked bad. I would actually say you were sorta cute. I mean, your cheeks were all red and your eyes all watery. If there’s anything you looked like, it’s a cute piglet.”

“A pig?! That’s not any better! You're still saying I looked terrible!”

Marinette shook her head. “Not terrible. Unique.”

“Ha. Ha.” Chloe rolled her eyes. A brief moment of silence ensued. 

“By the way, are you planning on eating those croissants when you get home or do you mind sharing?” Marinette asked.

“I mean, I did actually not eat anything this morning, but since I got them as an excuse… Sure, why not, take one.”

Marinette struck an exaggerated pose. “I thank you dearly Miss Bourgeois, I will forever be indebted to you. Oh, how can a lowly commoner like I ever repay you for your kindness?”

“Pftt— You know you can literally just walk down the stairs and get yourself one? No need to be dramatic.”

Marinette shrugged. “But this way is more fun.”

“Fun? How can a commoner afford to have fun? Don't you know the hardships life has to offer? I am appalled mademoiselle, appalled!”

“Ahahaha,” Marinette snickered. “Ahem,” she cleared her throat, “Oh, I beg you! Forgive my wrongdoings Miss! I don't know what is wrong with me. I feel such deep remorse, someone as low as me shouldn’t even be allowed to talk to you, yet you offered me such kindness, I shouldn’t have disrespected you like that!”

“Pft— okay, I get it. Just, take it okay?” Chloe shoved the croissant into Marinette's mouth to shut her up.

“Okay, okay.” Marinette pouted and took a bite out of the buttery and slightly warm croissant. “Mmm— Delicious, as always! Well, it’s expected of the best bakery in Paris but you already knew that right?”

“All too well.”

 

As they bantered around, they started to open up more and more to each other. Time seemed to go by faster than it ever had when they'd been in the same room. Chloe hadn’t realized how much time had passed until she got a call from her butler, who informed her that almost five hours had passed since she had left the hotel. 

“Didn’t you receive my message, mademoiselle?” He asked, worriedly. “I sent it three hours ago.”

“Uh, now that you mention it, I did. I think my phone might have been on silent mode though…”

“Phew— Your father and I were worrying something might have happened to you; You usually reply straight away after all.”

“Ahahaha—” Chloe took a quick glance at Marinette, “no, I’m fine, I just… got a bit distracted.” 

“I’m glad it was only that. Do you mind coming back? Your father is still a bit worried.”

Chloe glanced at Marinette once again. “Um, sure, no worries. I’ll be back soon, okay? Tell him not to worry!” She hung up. Once again she looked at Marinette, “so… I think you got the gist of it. Gotta go.” Chloe called her driver, so he could come pick her up. Silence ensued. She tried to break it, but the only thing she could muster up to say was a quiet “Um, it was nice… I mean talking with you.”

“Uh, yeah, it was nice,” Marinette replied.

They weren’t bantering around anymore and as such they reverted to an awkward state, that neither of them knew how to break. Sure, they could joke around now, but they were still not used to this sudden change. Both of them gave each other a quick nod and a short “bye” before Chloe waved Marinette’s parents goodbye and drove off. 

 

When Chloe was back at the hotel she convinced her father that nothing bad had happened and that she was just a bit distracted that day. Apparently he had thought, that she was still mad about the whole cake thing and that she had ran off somewhere. Chloe assured him that she’d never do something like that; For one she could never just run away and live without her luxury room, which had all the comforts one needed for an indulgent lifestyle like hers. She made sure to spend a lot of time with him that day, sure she was a bit spoiled, but she still cared a lot about her dad. 

The whole day Chloe felt as if she’d forgotten something important and it wasn’t until nighttime when she remembered what it was. She still hadn’t returned Marinette’s clothes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has actually been lying around for at least 1-2 weeks, I wasn't that happy with how it turned out but some minor changes made it tolerable. Hope you enjoyed it nevertheless!


End file.
